


Forgotten Dreams

by Tshilaba



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-03-22 04:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3715738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tshilaba/pseuds/Tshilaba





	1. Chapter 1

We are the Hensay. We are every form of what humans consider "mythological" creatures. They do not believe in us. It's said they cannot see us, but most no longer believe that. But we keep to ourselves.

There is a tale amongst our people that when we are young and first begin dreaming, we dream of our Imprint. Sometimes, our Imprint is also our mate. But not always. We don't really believe this anymore. None of us remember our first dreams. They're our forgotten dreams.

Though, if we can't recall them, we can't really say it's not true. That's what Hanji says, at least.

~*~

She lay down, her belly flush against the undergrowth as her ears twitched. There was someone coming, and by the sound of the heavy, reckless, clumping they were clearly human. She peeked above the bushes she'd dived behind to see; if it was a child she wouldn't worry. An adult would be more of a problem, but only a Hensay could see her. And only a Laelaps Hound could catch a Teumessian Fox.

Though Hanji believed a child's belief in the "fantastic" could help them see. And the harpy's hunches were usually dead accurate. And the vixen was not one to test it, at least not with humans. She hadd seen all too well the atrocities they committed against her animal brethren.

She cursed under her breath. It was a man. But something about him--that light hair, those eyes--no. She shook her head and stepped back unintentionally, cringing as her left hind paw cracked a stick in half. And, of course, it cracked _very_ loudly.

"Hello?"

She bolted, turning around and running blindly until she plowed headlong into a scaly heap.

"What on earth, Bel?"

She flopped onto her side in response, chest heaving and eyes closed.

There was a fluttering sound and a soft fump! of earth before a feathery wing prodded her side. "What's got you so worked up?"

"There was a human!"

"A human?!" Hanji squawked, flapping her wings excitedly. "Where?"

"Calm down, Shitty Feathers." The pegasus cuffed the harpy lightly with his wingtip.

The harpy stuck her tongue out at the pegasus.

"What's this about a human?"

"A li'l' ways north, Big Bro," Isabel answered, tail twitching as she shuffled her paws nervously. "By the big waterin' hole."

"Did they see you?"

"Well..." She sighed and hung her head, ears pulling back in embarrassment. "When I saw he was an adult an' not a kid, I sorta...panicked..."

"Isabel..."

"Now, Levi," Hanji  chirped in what she no doubt assumed was a charming and genial manner as she alighted onto the pegasus' back before leaning forward on his head, flattening his ears. "Yanno she's scared of humans."

"You're the only one that wants to be around 'em, Shitty Feathers," the pegasus deadpanned.

"I let you preen me this morning," she returned, flicking his nose teasingly and ignoring his glare as she turned her attention back to the young vixen. "You panicked, that's understandable. What happened?"

"I went to run and accidentally snapped a branch. And when he called out to me, I bolted..."

Sasha nodded, slinging her tail comfortingly across the girl's shoulders. "The kids are dangerous enough. Adults are a whole 'nother matta," the naga said, knowingly.

The pegasus' glare darkened before he bucked the harpy off his back, eliciting a startled squawk as she tumbled into an ungraceful heap. "No one go near that watering hole until I figure out why it's there."

"Levi, I could--"

"No, Hanji," he said firmly, forehead pressed against her own as he stared into her eyes. "Do not disobey me. A human in our territory is dangerous for us all."

"But, uh, humans can't see us, can they? Ah mean, maybe the kids can, coz their belief in faeyah folk let's 'em see 'em, but..." She shrunk a little under the pegasus' glare.

"You heard me," he said again, before turning on his hoof and marching off.

Hanji stuck her tongue out at his retreating back before ruffling the dirt from her feathers and muttering to herself about how much of a killjoy he was.

Sasha sighed before slithering over to help her friend, muttering affectionate insults under her breath.

~*~

Later that night, as the girls lounged around the sleeping hollow, Isabel tiptoed past the sleeping girls. Ymir lay curled around her sphinx mate protectively, tail barb twitching slightly in repose.

Hanji glanced up, eyes lidded heavily with the need for sleep, the naga's fingers running gently through the chocolate strands of her hair, as she always did to soothe the near insomniatic harpy. "Oh, Bel, you're not asleep yet, dear?"

The vixen shook her head, staring at her paws. It was difficult to sleep with all of the thoughts prancing about her mind like Hanji in one of her "THE KNOWLEDGE!" bends.

"Come," the harpy said, patting the soft sand beside herself.

Isabel took the offer hesitantly, only relaxing completely when the older girl's wing stroked her head gently.

"What's keeping you awake?"

"...honestly?" Isabel said quietly. "I've been thinking about that human..."

"Oh?" The harpy's eyes closed as she yawned widely. "You getting interested in them too?"

Sasha chuckled quietly.

"No...i's not that..." she mumbled. "You 'member how the elders say our first dreams are of our Imprints?"

"Oh, yeah. Not quite sure how it started. Or how it works, really..."

"Isn't that how ya found Big Bro?"

"Mm-hmm. I was being reckless and watching humans. I figured, as long as they couldn't see me I'd be fine, yanno? Well, I wanted to see just how intelligent they were. And, somehow, I got him to look straight at me. And he just...felt so familiar. Like I'd known him since we were small. But he just stared at me for the longest time before saying "What the fuck are you? One of those harpy things?" And I fell off the branch with a startled squawk because I'd never known a human to be able to see one of us."

"But Big Bro's one of us."

"Well, yeah. But at the time we didn't really know he was. We thought that he was a human."

"So, how did you, yanno, Imprint?"

"Oh, yeah, that. Our dreams came back. An' I say 'came back' coz they felt like dreams you had in the past come back for whatever reason but you just know you've had them before."

"So, the forgotten dream syndrome?"

"Happened for me, too," Sasha piped up. "'Cept Jean was a centaur when he found me. We met each other at a watering hole. After that, we started dreaming again."

"But both of you aren't mated."

"Well, no. To my knowledge, Ymir and Historia and Armin and Annie are the most recent. But why?"

Isabel shook her head. "I dunno..." She sighed. "Maybe 'm goin' crazy..."

Hanji chuckled and tucked the young vixen under her wing. "Just sleep, Little One. Sleep is how our heart solves our problems."

"You always say the weirdest things," she mumbled through a yawn as she snuggled into the harpy's feathers.


	2. Chapter 2

She dreamed of him that night.

He was always just out of sight, but she could hear his voice, so warm and familiar as he called out to her, running with her.

It left her heart aching when she awoke.

Hanji ruffled her ears as always before flying off to pester Levi about something that likely only she alone found important.

Left to her own devices, Isabel found herself wandering aimlessly until she found herself in the clearing she had met him in the day before. The dream continued playing in her mind. His laughter, the smile in his voice. It was all so vivid and so...familiar. She closed her eyes and tried desperately to remember.

They were running through a field. She could feel the wind whipping through her fur, the soft earth under her paws. He was laughing as she taunted him.

"You are a strange one to come back here."

Her eyes flew open and she whirled around, quickly dropping into a defense crouch as she began to back away slowly.

"Wait, I'm not here to hurt you."

Her ear twitched. "You...you can see me?" she said, disbelief filling her as she stared at him in confusion. "But humans aren't supposed to be able to see us at all!"

"A fox that talks, huh?"

"'M not a fox, 'm a Hensay!" she bristled angrily.

"A what?"

"Hensay are creatures that can take the form of humans and of animals. But we are neither. No human should be able to see us!" she insisted again. "So what are you?"

"To my knowledge, I'm human. My name is Farlan. What's yours?"

She eyed him warily, shifting her paws slightly in their placement. Levi would not be pleased with her, but she couldn't help herself. "Isabel," she said finally, relaxing slightly. He didn't seem dangerous...

"What species are you?"

"Wha's that s'posed to mean?"

"Sorry, you said you were part of a race."

She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Y'mean like different types?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm a Teumessian Fox," she said.

"Ah, interesting. Sounds like a creature from Greek mythology or something."

If she could have rolled her eyes, she would have. "Anyway, why did you come back?"

"To see you."

She simply stared at him, the dream flashing through her mind again.

_I just want to be with you."_

Her heart thudded in her ribcage. _Is this what an Imprint feels like? I...I don't think I can..._ She turned on her heel and bolted, ignoring as he called out to her. When she reached the hollow, however, she tripped over her paws and tumbled headlong into a feathery body that promptly let out a startled squawk of surprise.

"Bel?" Hanji lifted a wing to look down at the heap at her talons. "Why are you running? What's wrong?"

"Promise you won't tell Big Bro?"

"Course I won't. You know that, dear. Levi doesn't have to know everything."

She stared at her paws, pushing them through the grass nervously, before saying, very quietly, "...saw 'im again..."

The harpy was quiet for a few moments before she said "Come with me," and walked off.

Isabel followed her in confusion until the older girl stopped at the edge of a small. unfamiliar clearing. "Wha's this?"

Hanji walked over to a mall, glittering outcropping. "What stone is this?"

"Hennite," the vixen replied immediately. "It's comprised of moonstone, pearl, opal, and lapis lazuli. Long used by our kind to strengthen an elder's connection with our ancestors and the spirit world. But why--"

"When you first spoke of the human and asked me how I Imprinted with Levi, I began to think that there may be more to this situation than we know." She trailed her wingtip down a strip of lapis lazuli. "You dreamed of him last night."

"Well, I never saw his face..."

"But when you saw him again today, your dreams came to mind." She dipped a talon into the pool and stirred it slowly to the right three times. "Isabel, I want you to do something for me."

"Yes?"

"They say that this stone was given to us by the Ancients to improve the clarity of our dreams. That's not true. Humans brought it here long ago. However... It does have power very few understand. So, please, sleep on it and let your dreams clarify themselves. Step down here and lay your paws in these indentions."

Isabel nodded and laid down as she was asked, surprised when her paws slipped comfortably into the indentions. She glanced up at Hanji curiously and the harpy nodded, so she laid her head down and watched as the ripples moved slowly across the water's surface causing the stone to wink and glimmer.

There was a soft trilling sound above her as the harpy began her song. It had a low, almost mournful tune that floated over the water eerily. Isabel sighed and let her eyes close slowly as she listened to the harpy's tune. It was said to warn humans of their deaths, but the vixen found it soothing, and fairly soon she was asleep.

The location seemed different that time. And they weren't running. She could feel him standing near her, the fur of their shoulders brushing ever so slightly. What were they watching though? To her it seemed as if they were in the middle of a field, but, just at the edge of her vision, she could make out what seemed to be a human village.

_"What now, Farlan?"_

Her eyes shot open and she flew to her paws, breathing hard, as she startled Hanji.

The harpy flapped her wings a few times, looking ruffled. "What happened?"

"It's Farlan!"

"What?" The harpy's head cocked to the side in confusion. "You heard a name?"

"But Farlan is human..."

Hanji fluttered down beside her. "Think, darling. Tell me what you see."

Isabel nodded and closed her eyes again, focusing on bringing the dream back to mind. There he was, standing before her, the wind ruffling through the light gray fur. It looked to be...dog-like... But then she saw those eyes. Those pale eyes that almost reminded her of her big bro... "It looks like a dog almost..."

"Really?" Hanji said, excitement creeping into her voice.

"Mhmm. But the eyes are Farlan's. I couldn't forget those." She opened her eyes and looked up at the older girl. "But how? Farlan's human."

"He could see you though."

"True..." Her brow furrowed slightly as she focused on the dream's memory once again.

_"Betcha can't catch me!"_

_"Bet I can! I'm the only one who can!"_

Then she saw it. The intricate marking below his left eye. The mark of a Laelaps Hound.

"He's a Laelaps! He is one of us! Just like Big Bro! This is wonderful! I need to go find him!"

"Yeah..."

She should have noticed something was off, when the harpy seemed to become distracted, staring at a spot over her shoulder, but she was too excited to care and continued rambling.

"I wonder if he's transformed yet. I don't know much about that though, coz I was born a pup, but..."

"Um...Bel..."

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

Hanji cringed visibly as Isabel whirled around. "Big Bro!"

"Didn't I tell you not to go around that human?"

"It's okay, he--"

"No, it is not. You directly disobeyed me."

"But Big Bro, he needs to come live with us."

"No. Absolutely not," the pegasus said, stamping his hoof. "You will not bring that human here. And since you and Shitty Feathers seem to enjoy breaking the rules together your are forbidden to be within a tail length of each other. _Sasha's tail length_ ," he emphasized when the vixen opened her mouth. "And you are not to leave the forest without myself or Petra accompanying you."

"That's not fair!"

"Then you're not allowed to leave the forest at all."

Isabel could feel her body shaking with rage. "He's my _Imprint_... You wouldn't have Sis if she didn't--"

"Silence!" Levi said, wings shifting in irritation. "I will not tolerate having Hanji fill your head with this "Imprint" nonsense. I'm tired of it, I--"

But Isabel didn't hear the rest. She bolted full tilt away from the clearing, ignoring their cries for her to stop.


	3. Chapter 3

"Idiot!" the harpy screeched, thumping the pegasus square between the eyes. "Why don't you listen more often? I know you care about her, but clean out your ears sometimes and listen to what you're being told!"

"You're one to talk, Shitty Feathers."

" _I_ DIDN'T JUST CHASE OUR LITTLE SISTER AWAY BY BEING AN OBSTINATE ASS!" she squawked angrily.

Levi sighed and looked across the field the vixen disappeared into before flicking his tail and turning away. "Come on."

The harpy made a disgruntled noise before fluttering onto the pegasus' back.

~*~

Isabel continued running until the air burned her lungs. She stumbled to a stop, the trees overhead blotting out the majority of the sun as the remainder dappled the ground with shade and light. She glanced over her shoulder, still breathing quite hard.

They weren't following her.

She let out a growl, though it came out as nearly a whine.

They didn't even care enough to follow her.

When her breathing had nearly returned to normal again, she walked to the edge of the copse of trees slowly, staring down into the valley where a human village sat, nestled in the center. She looked around curiously, sniffing the air with intrigue. It was faint but...yes, that was definitely a scent she'd smelled on Farlan earlier. She nodded. "Right. This must be where he lives then," she said to herself. "But I can't go in looking like this." She grimaced. "They'd have my hide."

She'd used her human form before, true, but it had been only sparingly. It was very draining for her, which was surprising for Hanji to discover, and, frankly, she jsut didn't feel a free as a human. But, she reasoned, it would be a nice experience.

She stared down at her paws. "Now how do I do this..." She glanced around briefly. "Ha!" She walked up to a nearby oak tree, one with a slightly larger trunk than its brothers. She placed a paw against the bark, studying its texture. "This should work..." she mused. "Right!" She put her other paw against the trunk and walked herself up the surface, slowly, paw over paw. Finally, she was standing as near to a human position as possible.

She closed her eyes and focused hard to visualize her desired form. Rather short, bushy dark red heair, bunched in two, just behind her ears, a small, slim figure and emerald-like green eyes.

She opened her eyes and found herself staring at hands instead of paws. She lifted one away from the trunk and examined it closely. It seemed to have worked out well enough. She glanced down her figure and found her feet bare. "Never have quite been able to manage shoes," she sighed.

She pushed herself away from the tree carefully, flailing her arms a bit to regain her balance. She remembered Hanji saying something about how humans called it something, a....gravitation center? It didn't matter, really. She'd get used to the difference soon enough. She started walking shakily, but had only taken a few uncertain steps before her hand flew to her throat.

She let out a sigh of relief. It was still there.

"Right. Only forward now."

~*~

She was about halfway to the village when a sound made her freeze.

"Who goes there?"

She whirled around. "Farlan!"

"I-Isabel? So I'm not crazy..." He rushed over to her, stopping a few paces away. "I thought the dreams..."

"You had them too?"

"Ever since the first time I saw you in the eastern woods. They got--"

"Clearer and clearer with each dream," Isabel finished for him, her heart pounding behind her ribs. She was immensely, but also very...scared.

"That's weird." He shook his head for a moment."Why are you here?" he asked.

Her excitement faded as she looked away. "...Big Bro doesn't want me to be with you so I ran away..."

Farlan seemed conflicted for a moment before holding out his hand. "It's not safe out here for you. Take my hand and come with me."

"Okay."

~*~

Almost an hour later she was still trying to explain everything.

She'd made herself comfortable, her legs slightly crossed, as she sat on the floor, despite Farlan offering her a chair. She'd told him of Imprints and forgotten dreams when he interrupted her.

"What's that around your neck?"

"Oh, this?" She lifted the charm up and he nodded. "Sis and Bro gave it to me. Big Bro said it matched the marking on my chest fur. But Hanji says humans use it as protection."

"Who?"

"Oh, Hanji's like my big sister. She's a harpy and bro's a pegasus. But they found me when I was just a pup..."

"You should be with your family," he said gently.

She shook her head. "Imprints are s'posed to stay together. But Bro thinks that Imprints are just nonsense made up by the elders. But sis is the reason he ever left humans."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually we're born amongst our own kind," she explained. "But, sometimes, one of us is born amongst humans. I don't know how it works. Hanji thinks those Hensay are unlucky enough to be orphans. Or, possibly, a Hensay fell in love with a human. But only our human form can be seen by humans. Hanji only found Big Bro coz of her interest in humans. When she started draming of him, she thought she was 'magining things. But...nothing  says our Imprint  _has_ to be a Hensay. So she continued interacting with him." She stopped and stared at her hands, clenched between her knees, palms pressed against the floor. "But Levi doesn't believe in Imprints," she said, the bitterness biting at her voice, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

Farlan sighed. "When I dreamed, I dreamed of you as your are now," he said slowly. "And I found it strange because there are no redheads in this village. I've seen very few in my life, honestly. But I saw your eyes, those eyes that remind me so much of emeralds, and there was no doubt it was you."

"It was the same for me," she answered quietly. "My first dreams were of us running. Then I saw a dog with gray fur. No one in the clan is a dog. But I saw your eyes and I just...knew." Her stomach growled, interrupting them, and she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrasment. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's all right," he laughed. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded sheepishly.

"I'll fix something."


	4. Chapter 4

They settled into a comfortable schedule as time passed. The days were sent learning about human culture with Farlan, and her nights were spent curled nose-to-tail on the floor at the foot of his bed.

She couldn't hold her human form for more than a day at a time, and generally needed a night's rest before she could change again, but Farlan always made sure to accommodate her needs. It was nice, she thought. He was protective of her, but also smart and kind. Some nights they would spend hours reading by candlelight, sitting together with the book on his lap. Sometimes she even rested her paws and head on his leg as he stroked her head. Some of the longer words she had difficulty with, and what the humans called "math" was completely beyond her. But Farlan was patient with her.

She, in turn, taught him about the Hensay.

"So, you're kinda like shape shifters?" he asked, obviously confused.

"A little." By the gods, she was horrible at this. They were sitting the field just outside the village. It was a nice day, with just enough cloud cover to keep the sun from being too bright. And the breeze blowing gently through the grass felt so good. _Hanji would love teaching him_ , she thought absently, before biting her lip anxiously. She'd done so well over the past two moons to keep from thinking about them...

"Isabel?" There was concern, even worry, in his voice. She hated that. She never wanted anyone to worry about her.

She shook her head. "'S nothin'. Anyway, like I was sayin', we are a little like shape shifters, but we can be born as any form of what humans call "mythological" creatures. Centaurs, nagas, sphinxes, phoenixes. Actually, I once knew a winged dragon and a kirin."

"What on earth is a kirin?"

"Sorta like a cross 'tween a dragon an' a unicorn," she said, grinning. "It sounds funny, but Mikasa could kick just about anyone's ass!" She couldn't help but be a little proud of the human vocabulary she'd picked up as of late.

"Well, to be fair," Farlan said, glancing up to watch a slightly darker cloud pass over. "You did say Petra was pretty fierce with that horn of hers."

"Yeah, that's true," she giggled, as she leaned back, supporting herself with her arms. If anything, there was a lot more freedom in sitting without her prior skeletal structure. She sighed and let her head fall back to watch the clouds for a bit.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and, for once, Isabel didn't feel the need to fill it with words. It was perfect just the way it was. It was Farlan who, eventually, broke it, holding a sandwich out to her. "Here."

"Thanks," she murmured, accepting the food. She liked his food; even the things he somehow managed to burn were much better than the things Sasha or Ymir managed to bring in. Maybe it had something to do with the human seasonings. She shrugged and finished her sandwich before giving a cheer and flopping back into the grass, eyes closed happily.

"You look like a cat that got the cream."

"Nah, just a vixen with really good food in her belly."

"You're a mess," he said, and she heard him settle down into the grass beside her.

"But I'm your mess." When he didn't respond, she opened her eyes to look at him. "I mean...I am...right?"

"As long as I'm yours," he answered, that crooked little smile on his face as he took her hand in his gently.

_Smooth_ , she thought, grinning.


End file.
